Closer
by BarbyChan4ever
Summary: She's wild and he's uptight. Sometimes, opposites do attract. Faith Novak gets more than she bargained for when she has a summer romance with Clay Jensen. Eventual Clay/OC.
1. Chapter 1

This is another story of mine that I also have posted on Wattpad. It takes place the summer before Hannah's suicide, where Clay goes to stay with his grandparents. I decided to name the town Vellindale, and Clay's grandparents' names will be Henry and Loretta. Rating might go up in future chapters.

I got the idea for this story after watching Zach and Hannah's episode.

The title is based on the song by Tegan and Sara. Please review!

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

 _ **Clay's POV**_

Clay Jensen was bored.

It had been a week since he'd arrived, and he was already tired of running errands for his grandparents. When his mom had suggested he spent the summer with them, Clay knew he was doomed. If he had stayed in Crestmont, he would be having some quality time with Hannah at the movie theatre right now, not entering a flower shop.

He wandered around the place for a few minutes, horribly confounded by the labels of the flowers. _Who knew there was more than one type of pink roses?_

"Sorry, I had to go to the bathroom!" A girly voice said, startling Clay. "How can I help you, sweetheart?"

He was taken aback by both the girl's appearance and her usage of the pet name. She couldn't be much older than he was; with dirty blonde hair and light brown eyes. Her smile was wide and he wanted nothing more than to return it.

Instead, he stood there dumbfounded, mentally kicking himself for being so awkward.

"Cat cut your tongue?" She said, licking her front teeth with her tongue.

"N-no." He finally managed to let out. "I-I'm here to pick up a bouquet. The name's Jensen."

"Oh, you're Clay!" The girl exclaimed, looking at him as if he were Santa Claus. "I feel like I know you already, your grandparents talk about you all the time." She held out her hand. "I'm Faith!"

 _Faith_. The name seemed to suit her.

"Nice to meet you." He said, shaking her hand. It was very warm, and he noticed that the yellow nail polish of her nails matched with her dress.

"I have the Jensen bouquet at the back." Faith said, disappearing in a flash.

Clay hoped his grandparents hadn't told Faith any embarrassing stories about him. He just needed to get through this errand without making a fool of himself again.

When Faith returned, she was holding a purple vase filled with flowers that looked bigger than the girl holding them.

"Here it is. Purple roses, white lilies, and purple alstroemerias." She said, giggling. "And they say love is dead!"

Clay nodded, not knowing what to respond. _Is she always this cheerful? They are just flowers._

"Your grandma is going to love them." Faith handed him the bouquet. "Please send them my best, okay?"

"Sure." Clay replied, struggling not to let the vase drop. "Thank you."

"How are long are you staying?" Faith suddenly asked.

"Um... the whole summer? Why?"

"No reason." She winked at him, and Clay gulped. "See you around."

He gave her one final nod and walked out of the flower shop. After securing the vase in the trunk of the car, he headed back to the house and gave it to his grandpa.

"Thank you, Clay." Henry said. "Now your grandma will finally stop saying that I don't appreciate her enough."

"When did she ever say that?" Clay wondered, beaming.

"Every single day, boy. You just haven't been around to hear it." Henry told him. "Did Faith give it to you?"

"Yeah. The tall blonde girl who smiles too much, right?" _And which happens to be super pretty._

"That's her." The lines of his frown burrowed more deeply into his face. "Poor thing... her mother passed away last year, and her father has never been around. She moved to town a few months ago with her sister, who owns the shop. She's been very kind to your grandma and me."

"Wow." Clay mumbled, suddenly feeling guilty for thinking her enthusiasm over the flowers had been over the top. "I never would have guessed she went through something like that."

"Me neither. She's always so lively. Your grandma showed her a few of your baby pictures the other day."

Clay's eyes widened in horror. "What? Why would she do that?"

"I don't know! Guess she just wanted to brag about you. All those good grades you keep getting... you make us both proud, Clay."

"Thank you, grandpa." He looked down at his feet. "Is there something else you need me to do?" _Please say no, please say no..._

Henry shook his head. "No, nothing. Go have some fun. We don't want you to be our servant."

 _Oh, really? Good to know._ "I'll go take a walk." He stormed out of the house before his grandpa could change his mind.

In truth, he had no idea where to go. This was the first time he had been in Vellindale since he was a kid, and he didn't have any fun memories of the town. It was pretty much like Crestmont in a way; common places and common people living their common lives.

Clay wondered how Hannah was doing. She had sounded disappointed when she found out he would be gone all summer. He wanted to believe she was currently missing him as much as he missed her. Jeff had told him plenty of times that Hannah was indeed into him, but it was his job to make the first move. _If only it were that easy._

Lost in his own bubble, he bumped into someone. "Sorry. I wasn't paying attention and..."

"Don't worry, Clay." It was Faith. "For a second, I thought you were going to give me a hug or something. Not that I would have objected."

Clay blushed, not used to having a girl flirt with him so openly. _Is this flirting? I'm sure she just flirted._ She was now wearing a jean jacket over her yellow dress.

"My sister told me I could take the rest of the day off." Faith explained. "I suppose that's my reward for being an awesome employee." She eyed him warily, as if she were looking for something. "You mind if I walk with you?"

"N-not at all." He blurted out. "I have no idea where I'm going."

"Well, then let me show you." She said, clapping her hands in glee. "I could be your tour guide, show you some cool places... what do you think?"

"I'd like that." He responded, giving her a smile. _This is going to be interesting. Perhaps this summer won't be so boring after all._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

 _ **Faith's POV**_

Faith Novak had seen baby pictures of Mrs. Jensen's adored nephew, but the old lady had never shown her how he looked now.

 _Oh, boy_.

Clay Jensen seemed to have a sweet disposition. He had the kindest blue eyes she'd ever seen, and there was a warmth to him; like he'd be a good hugger. In other words, the guy was handsome.

Which is why flirting with him was both easy and exciting. When Clay'd agreed to let her walk with him and smiled at her the way he did, she knew this was going to be fun. All of her friends were gone for the summer, and there had been nothing for her to do other than work for her sister.

Until now.

Clay and Faith walked side by side; their arms bumping from time to time. _I want to hold his hand, but I don't want to scare him_.

"Wait... what's your last name?" Clay suddenly inquired. "I feel like if you're going to show me around town, I need to know it."

"It's Novak." Faith answered. "You scared, Jensen? I won't hurt you."

The look on his face was hilarious. "What? No, not at all, I was just wondering..."

"Relax, sweets." She laughed. "I'm just messing with you."

He looked away, his cheeks flushing. "I knew that."

Faith raised her brows in disbelief, enjoying the effect she was having on him. "Oh, there's Bridge's." She pointed at the juice bar across the street. "Best smoothies in town, and karaoke night on Mondays. Fun guaranteed."

"I like smoothies, but I'm definitely not up for karaoke."

"Why not?"

Clay shrugged. "I can't sing."

Faith smirked just the slightest bit. "Mmm. We'll see."

"Can you sing?" He asked.

"I've been told I have a nice voice." She said proudly. "Which is why I go there every week to make the crowd go crazy."

"I'm sure you do." The corners of Clay's mouth turned up, and now it was Faith's turn to blush. "Is that what I think it is?"

They stopped for a moment to observe the town's roller skating rink. "Aaah, Blue Wheels." Faith exclaimed. "It's called like that because the owner's last name is Blue. I wanted to work here, but my lovely big sis wouldn't let me."

"Why not?"

"She just wants me to stay focused on the family business." _What a lame answer_. "I like working at the flower shop, but she's always breathing down my neck. Today's been an exception, though." Faith glanced at Clay, who was still focused on the kids that were inside skating. "Perhaps it's the summer spirit or something."

His eyes met hers again, and they resumed their walk. "I work at a movie theatre." He commented.

"Really? That is so cool!" She jabbered. "Do you get to see a lot of movies?"

"A few." He replied. "But I mostly just clean bathrooms and build candy towers with Hannah."

 _Shit_. "Is she your girlfriend?" Faith had been so busy mooning over him that she hadn't considered the possibility that he wasn't single. _A guy like that... it'd be hard to believe he doesn't have a parade of girls after him_.

"Um, no." Clay shook his head, and Faith let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding. "She's my friend. We go to school and work together."

"Oh, cool." _Thank God_. "I bet you must be missing her and your other friends right now."

"Yeah." He admitted. "But being here is not so bad."

"It's really not." She agreed. "There's plenty for you to do in Vellindale. Like going camping in the forest and bathe on the lake. You up for it?"

"W-what, like right now?" Clay stammered.

Faith snorted. "Of course not. But some other day, maybe?" She looked down, biting her lip. "If you want to do things together, I'm game. I'm kinda friendless right now, and I'd like to change that."

He looked thoughtful for a second. "Sure. Sounds good."

"Awesome! You won't regret it. We totally sh-" Faith's phone buzzed, interrupting their conversation. It was a text message from her sister. _Damn it, Alicia_.

 ** _Change of plans. Stop whatever you're doing and get back here. I need your help!_**

"It's Alicia, my sis." She told him. "I gotta get back to work, I'm sorry."

"No, that's okay." He said reassuringly. "I also have to go. Grandma would kill me if I missed lunch."

"We wouldn't want that." Faith grinned, turning around. "Race you to the shop?"

"I don't really like to r-"

Faith didn't give him a chance to finish; she just started running as fast as she could, getting a few stares from people and laughing uncontrollably.

"Why the rush?" Clay yelled, trying to catch up with her. "You shouldn't be running while wearing a dress."

"So you're looking, uh?" She teased, not slowing down. "How inappropriate, Clay!"

"No, that's not what I said!"

When Faith finally made it back to the flower shop, she waited outside for Clay, raising up her arms. Her hair was a mess and her body was covered in sweat, but she didn't care. She was just happy to know that she was going to spend three months with a cute boy. Contentment clouded her features when Clay finally appeared.

"That was terrible." He panted, placing his hands on his knees. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't know. I just did it."

Faith gave Clay an unapologetic smile and handed him her phone. "You can write your number and I'll text you."

He took the phone and did as instructed. Their hands touched slightly once he returned it, and Faith blushed again. "I better go inside." She said, opening the door. "See you around, Clay."

"Bye." He waved, walking away. She closed the door and found a very exasperated Alicia waiting for her.

"Took you long enough." Alicia said. "Who was that guy?"

"The Jensens' grandkid, Clay."

"Doesn't seem like your type." Her sister observed.

Faith rolled her eyes. "You don't know what my type is."

"Of course I do." Alicia insisted. "Bad boys who do nothing but break your heart or perky girls who are way too annoying to listen to. That guy isn't in either of those categories. He looks like a soft puppy."

"Well, maybe I want something different this time. Besides, he's only staying for the summer. It's not like I want him to propose or something."

"Just don't break his heart, okay? Wouldn't want the Jensens to stop coming here."

"And what if he breaks mine?" Faith joked. "Sometimes puppies bite."

"Haha, cute." Alicia scoffed. "Now get over here and help me with the website. The computer's frozen again."

Faith nodded, ready to assist her sister. _I'm going to make it my mission to learn everything about Clay_.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 ** _Clay's POV_**

This had been the first time a girl had asked for Clay's number.

The situation made him both excited and nervous. All he could do now was wait for Faith to text him, but he didn't know what to expect of her. What was he supposed to do? She was so carefree and flirtatious... and pretty. His heart was with Hannah, but he couldn't help but admire the flower girl's golden locks. Clay wondered what Jeff would think about all of this. _He'll probably tell me to stop being uptight_.

After Clay was done having lunch with his grandparents, he headed to his room to use the computer. He opened Facebook to search for Faith's profile out of curiosity, only to find that she had already sent him a friend request. He hesitated for a few minutes until he finally accepted it.

It was clear from the number of friends that she had on her page that she was a very popular girl, which made him wonder why she didn't have a boyfriend.

The word 'boyfriend' reminded him of Hannah again, as he thought of the promise he'd made to her before leaving. _Letters. I promised her I'd write her letters. But what am I supposed to write about? This girl I just met? She'd get the wrong idea._

His mental debate was cut off when somebody knocked on his door. "Hey, Clay." It was his grandpa. "You forgot your phone on the table. It's been buzzing for a while."

 _Damn it_. Clay stood up, opening the door. "Sorry." He grabbed the phone, grateful that his grandpa wasn't the type to spy on somebody's messages.

Henry shook his head. "It's okay. I'm just happy to know you have friends."

Clay nodded, closing the door once again. He wasn't actually sure if he wanted to know who was texting him. He knew Hannah was waiting for the letters, and Tony and Jeff were probably too wrapped up in their own business to check up on him right now. _I can't believe I'm actually hoping it's mom_.

Wrong. It was Faith.

 **Clay! I swear I'm not trying to annoy you to death. I'm just bored out of my mind making a corsage. What are you doing right now?**

 _Um, reading your text?_ But he couldn't exactly respond in such a sarcastic way. She was just being friendly, and he didn't want to upset her. Instead, he just typed:

 **Just going through Facebook. I accepted your request.**

She replied almost immediately.

 **Yeah, I just saw it! Thanks! Do you want to meet up later and do something?**

 _Do what exactly?_ Clay didn't know what to think. Was she asking him out on a date or just a friendly encounter? Was there a difference? If he said yes, he would be entering unknown territory. If he said no, he'd be hurting her feelings. _Or maybe not. Maybe I'm giving myself way too much credit._ His phone buzzed again, and he tried not to panic.

 **It's okay if you can't! Sorry if I sounded pushy.**

Clay sighed, deciding it was best to say yes. He was probably overthinking the whole thing. It wouldn't hurt to hang out with someone his age. He didn't want to spend the whole summer talking to just his grandparents. He texted Faith and they agreed to meet up at the park after she was done with her shift at work.

When Clay got there, she was already waiting for him. The girl was sitting by the fountain, fiddling with the sleeves on her dress. She smiled when she noticed his presence.

"Hey, again." She waved.

He cleared his throat, sitting next to her. "Hi."

"How was lunch?"

"It was fine." Clay replied, rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, how did you end up here?" Faith wondered. "Your grandma told me you haven't been in Vellindale since you were a kid."

"It was my mom's idea." Clay explained. "She thought it would be good for me to get away from a while, and spend some time with my grandparents. She didn't want me to be locked in my room for three months."

"Which is exactly what you've been doing since you got here, right?" Faith grinned, raising an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "You could say that."

The blonde nodded. "It's not a bad thing, though. Sometimes you just need time for yourself."

"I guess."

Neither of them said anything after that. They just sat together in silence, taking in the view of the park. There weren't enough people around to disturb them; the sky was clear, and the summer breeze felt soft against Clay's skin. He couldn't remember a time where he had felt so relaxed. There were no overprotective parents nor people from Liberty High around. _It sure feels good to be away. I just miss H-_

"You okay?" Faith's voice interrupted his thoughts. "You look kinda lost."

"I'm okay, thanks." Clay said quickly. "I was just thinking about some stuff." _Thinking about Hannah. Will I ever stop thinking about Hannah?_

The blonde giggled. "It's a girl, right? You have the 'there's a girl waiting for me at home' look."

 _Shit._ "There's a look for that?"

"There's a look for everything. But I won't ask you about her, because I've already pushed too many boundaries. I promise you I'm not a crazy person... I'm just bored, I guess."

"Don't you have your sister to spend time with?" He inquired.

"My sister has her own grown-up stuff to deal with. I know she looks young, but she's actually 28, and completely over high school stuff. She just loves to boss me around and tease me about every little thing." Faith rolled her eyes. "I bet it's a paradise being an only child, huh?"

"I wouldn't say I live in a paradise. Sometimes I kind of wish I had a sibling, to get my parents off my back a bit. They are always around to monitor me."

Clay immediately regretted complaining about his parents, remembering what his grandpa had told him about Faith's deceased mother and absent father. _Way to go, Jensen._

If his words had caused a negative effect on her, she was sure pretty good at hiding it. Faith's smile was undefeatable. _How can someone with so many problems smile so much? I don't get it._

"Well, who knows?" She blurted out. "Perhaps your parents will make another baby while you're here."

Clay arched his back and hissed. "Ugh, that's so gross!" I can't believe you just said that."

Faith smirked apologetically, and Clay couldn't help but let out a tiny laugh. _This girl is something else..._


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 ** _Faith's POV_**

"Did you have fun with the Jensen kid yesterday?" Alicia asked her sister during breakfast.

"I did actually." Faith responded. "He's nice. I like him."

Alicia gave her a look. "Oh, please don't tell me you're going to put the moves on him."

The younger girl nearly spat her milk. "I can talk to a guy without wanting to sleep with him, you know?"

"Whatever." Alicia rolled her eyes. "Just remember that you're in charge of washing your own sheets."

Faith threw a muffin at her sister. "You're disgusting."

She didn't want to admit it, but her sister wasn't entirely wrong. She had planned on 'putting the moves' on Clay, but she also didn't want to come off as desperate. They had just met, after all.

Her friends hadn't contacted her in days. She was bored, but most importantly, she was lonely, and yesterday had been the first time in a long time that someone had paid attention to her.

 _Maybe I am desperate._

Faith grabbed her phone and dialed Clay's number. _Here goes nothing._

"Faith? Is something wrong?"

"No." She said. _It's best to be upfront._ "Do you wanna come over to my house and watch a movie?"

The other line went silent for a moment, and Faith closed her eyes, hoping not to be rejected.

"Okay." Clay finally replied. "I have to help my grandma with something first, but I can be there in an hour."

 _Yes!_ "Perfect! I'll text you the address!"

"Do you need me to bring something?"

"No, that's okay. Bye." Faith hung up, and texted him the address. She waited for Alicia to leave for work, and changed into some prettier clothes.

"Now all I need is to pick the movie." Faith began checking all the DVDs they had. " _The Notebook_...no, too romantic. _A Walk To Remember..._ no, too sad. _Titanic..._ too damn long..." She was about to give up when she found the perfect film. " _10 Things I Hate About You..._ yes! This one is excellent. Romantic, but not too sappy, and hilarious. I hope Clay likes it."

After what felt like forever, the bell rang, and Faith nearly tripped over her own feet on her way to the door. When she opened it, Clay was standing there, holding a candy basket.

"My grandma told me that it would be rude to show up empty-handed." He explained. "Is this okay? I really didn't know what else to get."

"It's perfect." She nodded. "Let's just not tell my dentist. Come in."

Clay laughed at her joke, and followed her into the house.

 ** _Clay's POV_**

The first thing he noticed were the paintings hanging on the walls. There were at least seven of them, and they all had flowers on them. _No surprise there._ One of the tables was filled with photos of Faith, and two other blonde women Clay presummed were her mother and sister. But the picture that captivated him the most was the one where Faith was wearing a red and white cheerleader uniform. She looked quite radiant; her hair was tied down in a ponytail, her smile was covered in red lipstick, and she was holding a pompom in each hand. It was a pleasant sight.

"Embarrasing, right?" Faith's voice startled him. "I mean, don't get me wrong, cheerleader can be fun and is a pretty good exercise, but I think it was invented by some man who just wanted to see girls shake their bodies in short skirts."

"Why are you on the squad, then?"

She gave him a sad smile. "My mom. She was a cheerleading coach, and being on the team makes me feel closer to her, I guess. I don't know, it's a silly reason but it helps me cope."

Clay felt sorry for Faith, while at the same time envied her strength. He couldn't imagine how he would handle losing his mother. Even though Lainie could be overprotective sometimes, he loved his mom more than anything. "It's not silly at all. I'm really sorry about your mom."

"Thanks." She took the candy basket from him. "Follow me."

He walked with Faith towards the living room, and the girl left the basket on the table facing the TV. He sat on the couch, and continued to look at his surrundings.

"I hope you like Diet Coke." Faith said, pointing at the cans on the table.

"Sure."

She nodded and grabbed the remote, sitting next to him. "I picked one of my favorites. You can handle a chick flick, right?"

Clay would have prefered to see a horror movie, but kept that to himself. He was beginning to think that Faith had a superpower that made it impossible for anyone to say no to her. _Or maybe I'm the one who has a power that doesn't allow me to say anything other than yes._ "I'll do my best."

Faith's movie of choice turned out to a 90s romantic comedy that Clay had never heard of before. It was about a girl who was forbidden to date anyone until her sister did, so one of the girl's suitors comes up with the idea to set the sister up with the school rebel. The boy found himself enjoying the movie, and wondered what Hannah might think of it. _Hannah... should I be thinking about her right now?_ He glanced at Faith, who was completely focused on the film and happily chewing some M&M's. _If Jeff were here, he'd be teasing the shit out of me._

Clay drifted his attention back to the screen, not wanting to miss any more details. When it was over, he was taken aback by his companion's face. Faith was crying.

"What's wrong? Is it the movie?"

"Yes, I'm sorry." She murmured, removing the tears with her fingers. "That last part always gets me, you know? Kat's poem was so sad."

"Yeah, but she and Patrick ended up together." He pointed out. "It was a happy ending."

"I know, I know." She took a sip of coke, and her grin returned. "I'm a little oversensitive, I guess. Did you enjoy it?"

"It was great." Clay stated. "I didn't expect to like it as much as I did."

"We could watch another one tomorrow, if you'd like. Or we could do something else."

He was flattered that she wanted to spend more time with him. "Are we... is what we're doing now a date?"

Faith snorted, and her cheeks turned bright red. "Do you want it to be?"

 _I feel like an idiot. Why did I ask?_ "I-I don't know."

"Then let's not stress about it." She patted him on the shoulder. "We're just two young, nice looking people spending time together. There's nothing wrong with that, right?"

"Right." Clay cleared his throat, standing up. "I should get home."

"Okay." Faith stood up as well, and walked him to the door. "Thank you for coming."

"Thank you for inviting me." They looked at each other for a few seconds, until Clay broke the eye contact and left Faith standing by herself. He turned around to give her a small wave, which she returned. _I really should talk to Jeff._


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

 ** _Faith's POV_**

It had been three days since Faith's movie 'date' with Clay. She had been too embarrassed to text him since. _I shouldn't have fucking cried in front of him. I'm an idiot. I always cry when I think about mom._

Faith wanted to see him again, but didn't know what to use as an excuse. She couldn't tell if he actually wanted to be around her, or if he just felt sorry for her. _Probably the latter. Nah, not the latter... he likes me, I can tell. He's just shy._

She was usually blunt about her intentions with someone, but Clay was different. He was from another town, he was sorta awkward, and his mind sometimes seemed to be elsewhere. Like he wasn't sure how to act around her and respond to her advances.

Now that she was friends with him on Facebook, and also followed on Instagram, she was able to learn a bit more about him.

There were several pictures of him with a girl named Hannah, which Faith assumed was the one Clay had mentioned before. In most of them, they were wearing their work uniforms and smiling brightly, looking like one of those happy couples that felt the constant need to show off their affection online.

 _Fuck, I almost sound jealous. And bitterness isn't good for the soul._ To prove herself wrong, she liked every single picture that Clay had with Hannah, as well as some in which he was alone or with one of his guy friends.

But she hadn't expected this move to get Clay's attention.

 **Clay:** _I got like 3000 notifications and they're all yours_

 _what's up with that?_

 **Faith:** _Sorry, my bad_

 _I just really liked your pictures_

 _you and your gf are cute_

 **Clay:** _She's not my gf_

 **Faith:** _Well, I'm glad_

 **Clay:** _What do you mean?_

 **Faith:** _Damn, you're slow_

 **Clay:** _So I've been told_

 _btw, I followed you back on IG_

Faith smiled at her phone, and decided to take her chances. _If he says no, I'll get over it._

 **Faith:** _Are you free now? I know it's late, but I'd like to see you again. Wanna come over and watch another movie?_

Faith walked around her room, waiting anxiously for his response. _When's the last time I've been this nervous? Ugh, I feel like my palms are sweating._

When he finally responded, she cracked another smile.

 **Clay:** _Sure. As long as I get to pick the movie this time._

 **Faith:** _Deal. Come over asap._

She opened her closet to find something decent to wear. There was no way she was going to let Clay see her in her My Little Pony pajamas. _He'd be scarred for life, and Alicia would never stop teasing me about it._

After what felt like forever, Faith ended up settling for a red crop top and a pair of jean shorts. It was particularly hot that night, so she chose to stay barefoot. She completed her look with a gold necklace that spelled her name, a sunflower anklet, and some lipgloss.

Faith admired herself in front of the big mirror that was located next to her closet, pleased with the way she looked. She knew she was beautiful, there was no doubt in her mind about it. She'd been hearing that ever since she was a child.

 _"You're a knockout, a babe, the sweetest girl in the whole school. He's a piece of shit for dumping you, and I will kick his ass when I see him again. You deserve better."_ Her friend Evie had told Faith after Aaron, her now ex-boyfriend, had broken up with her. Aaron hadn't taken it lightly when Faith revealed to him that she was bisexual and had been with girls in the past. Faith had been so hurt by his homophobic insults that she ended up crying on Evie's lap for three hours.

 _"I'm glad that he dumped me! I don't want to be with someone as hateful as he is! I am who I am, and if he doesn't like it, I don't care!"_ Had been Faith's response.

And it was true. She ended up getting over him pretty fast, and to her satisfaction, Evie had punched him in the face in front of the whole school when they were at the cafeteria the day after their break-up. Nobody knew the reason, but that didn't stop the students from laughing. Even Aaron's friends from the football team had found the whole thing hilarious.

To Faith's surprise, Aaron didn't end up outing her, but that was probably because Evie had threatened to punch him and humiliate him again if he did.

Faith considered herself lucky to have Evie. When she'd arrived at Vellindale a few months ago, she didn't know anybody. But then she met Evie, and five minutes later, everyone at school was saying hi to her and trying to become her friend.

She ended up joining the cheerleading squad on her very first day. Evie was the captain and she had been impressed when she learned that Faith's mom had been a cheerleading coach.

At her school, the cheerleaders were the center of attention. Nobody really cared about the football team, since most of the players were pretty bad and had never won a championship. _Aaron is the worst player for sure. Fuck, what did I ever see in him?_

So thanks to her beauty, her friendship with Evie, and her role as co-captain of the Vellindale Beauties, she was one of the most popular girls at school. Just like she had been at her previous one.

Faith loved the way she looked. But what was the point of having good looks if her mother wasn't here to help her untangle her hair, pick the perfect dress and give her a good luck kiss? _I'd rather be ugly if it meant having mom here._ She had her sister, she had her friends... but she missed her mom more than anything in the world.

Faith had been so wrapped in her thoughts, that she'd completely forgotten that Clay was coming over. She left her room and went to prepare some popcorn. Once it was ready, she put it on the living room's table, along with two cans of coke.

Clay ended up showing up twenty minutes later, and this time, he had a chocolate cake on his hands. He was wearing a white t-shirt, jeans, and grey sneakers. _So handsome._

"Courtesy of my grandma." He explained. "I told her it was too much, but she insisted."

"It's okay." Faith said, gesturing for him to come inside. "I love chocolate. It's one of my weaknesses."

"One of them? What others do you have?"

"Several." They sat on the big black couch next to each other, just like they'd done before. "But chocolate is my main one. Well, that and blue eyes."

Clay chuckled, looking down. His face was now as red as Faith's crop top. She smirked in satisfaction and picked up one of the silver spoons that Clay had brought with the cake.

"I have my own spoons, you know?"

"Yeah, I know."

"Let me guess, your grandma insisted?"

"Pretty much."

"She's a very thoughtful lady." She said, tasting the cake. "And this is delicious."

"Let me try it." He grabbed the other spoon and put a piece of cake in his mouth. "Okay, you're not wrong. This is really good. Now I feel bad that I didn't come to visit sooner."

"So, what's life like in Evergreen County? Do you like your school?"

Clay shrugged. "It's okay."

"You don't sound so sure."

He looked down, thinking of what to say. "It's just high school, you know? You go, you get good grades, and then you graduate... it sounds simple, but sometimes it doesn't feel like it."

She frowned, contemplating what he said. "What do you mean?"

"I-I don't know. I guess that sometimes I just wish I knew what to say or what to do... find a guide that helped me makes things easier for everybody."

"Like a 'How To Survive High School' guide?"

"Something like that, yeah."

Faith nodded, and she and Clay stared at each other. _What are we really doing, Clay?_

"We forgot about the movie!" He suddenly exclaimed. "I was supposed to choose it this time, remember?"

 _Oh, crap. I forgot why I even invited him in the first place. How did this happen?_

"Oh, right." She said, grabbing the remote control. "I have a lot of DVDs, but most of them are romantic comedies. You wanna pick something from Netflix?"

"Sure." He took the remote, turned on the TV and began to surf through the Netflix catalog. "I was thinking we could watch a horror movie. Is that okay with you?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm a bit of a chicken when it comes to horror movies." Faith admitted. "I have an issue with blood. There was one time when I accidentally cut my finger with a piece of paper, and I nearly fainted. When I'm working at the flower shop, I have to be extra careful not to cut myself with a thorn. The funniest thing is that I don't even flinch when I get my period, but when it comes to blood in films or accidentally cutting myself, I..." She stopped talking when she saw Clay's horrified expression. _Shit. Too much information._ "I'm sorry, you probably didn't need to know that."

He gulped, his cheeks burning. "It's fine... I understand. Well, I actually don't because I'm not a girl, but I understand feeling like you've said too much. Why don't you pick the movie? Anything you want will be fine."

Faith let out a sigh. "You're too nice for your own good."

They ended up watching one of the movies that Faith had on DVD: _The Notebook_. It probably wasn't the wisest idea to watch one of the most romantic movies in the world with a boy she barely knew, but she felt bored and lonely and he was there... _I shouldn't overthink this. It's just a movie. And Clay seems harmless. Sweet and gentle... a puppy, just like Alicia said before._

* * *

 ** _Clay's POV_**

Clay had never seen The Notebook before, but he'd definitely heard about it. It was about a poor man who fell in love with a rich woman during the '40s. He and Faith ate the food and beverages that were on the table while they watched the movie.

Even though Faith had said they shouldn't put a label on what they were doing, this felt too much like a date.

She was dressed radiantly. Her red crop top allowed him to see that she had a piercing on her bellybutton and a pink lily tattoo on her lower back, but he tried his best not to think too much about that. Her bare legs were on display thanks to the jean shorts she was wearing, and her toenails were painted black, unlike her fingernails which were painted blue. Her hair was down, so he couldn't see if she had put on earrings, but the gold necklace with her name on it was hard to miss. _She isn't just beautiful... she's hot. Fuck, she's so hot. What the fuck am I supposed to do?_

Clay started to feel unbelievably nervous, even more than before, and he wanted to dig up a hole and hide whenever there was a love scene in the movie. He couldn't help but look at Faith during the moment Noah and Allie kissed in the rain, but fortunately, she was concentrated in the film and the popcorn she was chewing.

He felt like a fool, alone in a room with a girl, with no idea of what to say or do. It was moments like these were he felt jealous of Jeff, and his ability to understand and charm girls.

But not just of Jeff. He envied all the guys at school who were able to go on dates, get girlfriends, and sleep around without even trying. Justin Foley was among those guys; he had managed to get with Hannah, the girl of his dreams, and he was an asshole. _How did he do it?_

When Faith had asked him to come over to watch another movie, he almost said no. Not because he didn't want to be around her, but because he was terrified of embarrassing himself. But he seemed to be doing well so far.

The movie was about to end when he felt something hit his left shoulder. _Faith._ She had fallen asleep next to him and was snoring softly. Clay gulped and blushed furiously, wondering if he should wake her up. _She must be tired from working all day._ He pushed some locks of hair out of her face and decided to let her use his shoulder as a pillow. After a few minutes of watching her rest, he ended up falling asleep too.


End file.
